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Experiences with various shuttlecocks as a badminton club president

Hi everyone, I would like to share my experiences concerning shuttles. I have been the president of our club for a couple years now (I am at a college badminton club in the US), so we always buy large quantities of shuttles at once (> 40 tubes). I will give a brief review of each of the shuttles we have tried.

Aeroplane EG1130: We have used these for the longest. When I first arrived (2006), these Aeroplanes flew with a nice, consistent speed, and were the most durable shuttles I have tried. However, we ordered these again in late 2008 and were very disappointed. These new Aeroplanes were very slow even with steaming the night before. Durability was worse. In addition to feathers falling off earlier, they also slowed down a lot faster.

Yang Yang 300B: Compared to the first batch of Aeroplanes (circa 2006), these (ordered in 2007) we felt were worse. The durability was worse than the Aeroplanes even though the flight path was consistent and speed is good. The feathers tended to fall off a whole pieces at once, rendering them unplayable more quickly than the Aeroplanes. But due to our disappointment with the new Aeroplanes, we have reordered these and we will be re-evaluating them.

Sosan Black Label: We only had a few tubes of these (ordered 2007), but these felt similar to the Yang Yang's in almost all aspects.

Wilson Top Line 80: Horrible, horrible shuttles (ordered 2008). These flew with a slightly different trajectory upon impact with the racket and it bothered everyone. Also, these made almost no sound no matter how hard you hit them. The feathers start falling off bit by bit, and really, after about 5 rallies, this just feels like a low grade shuttlecock, perhaps comparable to the Victor Gold, meaning these tubes are overpriced by about $5.00. We couldn't wait to get rid of them.

Yonex AS-30: (ordered 2008) These were good shuttlecocks with nice and consistent flight. They also tended to be slightly faster than any of the shuttlecocks we have previously tried. Durability was a slight issue as the feathers fell off pieces at a time, but this was without steaming. The durability of both this and the Yang Yang probably can be improved by steaming. The main problem is these tubes are slightly on the expensive side.

First impressions of the Aeroplane G1130: After steaming, they are faster than the 2008 EG1130 (which were also steamed), but also also feels lighter. Durability seemed to be comparable, perhaps slightly worse. We have four more tubes of these, which we will use in subsequent practices.

Aeroplane EG1130: We have used these for the longest. When I first arrived (2006), these Aeroplanes flew with a nice, consistent speed, and were the most durable shuttles I have tried. However, we ordered these again in late 2008 and were very disappointed. These new Aeroplanes were very slow even with steaming the night before. Durability was worse. In addition to feathers falling off earlier, they also slowed down a lot faster.

..........

Note: All shuttlecocks were ordered from badmintonalley.com

Regarding Aeroplane EG1130, they should be the most durable and excellent flight shuttles in the market. We are selling Aeroplane shuttlecocks in Australia. We sell EG1130 at speed 78 and 79, and sell at least 4000 dozens per year (Totally around 12000 dozens for all grades of Aeroplane shuttles). One of our customers in Victoria (cooler area) purchases about 1000 doz (speed 79) annually from us since 2006. This club gave us an usage report few times and said the EG1130 is the only shuttle it has used for more than two years. It had used other brands such as Sealion, RSL; but their quality was not steady and became worst over the time.

I guess the possible causes happend to your EG1130 are -

1. Storage - The shuttles have been stocked for more than 2 years or were stocked in a hot area for too long.
2. Wrong speed - lower speed (the speed used in hotter area, such as speed 77, or even 76).
3. Fake ones.
4. Shuttles for Chinese domestic use, not for export. Usually there is carton number such as 1 - 250, or 1 - 100 on the shipping carton for exported shuttles. If there is no carton No., the shuttles probably are for the use of China market and the quality is less reliable.

I have just visited badmintonalley.com and there is no EG1130 in its shuttle list. It may stop selling it.

Demand for feathers by shuttle manufacturers is now increasing causing feathers supply to tighten in China. We may see prices of shuttles going up soon. If manufacturers stock too much feathers inventory this could cause some quality problem due to prolonged feathers storage.
BTW, isn't speed 79 a bit too fast for Melbourne?

We are currently using EG1130 at my college badminton club here, but for us they work well. Actually, since we ordered them during the winter, we figured we would get speed 78 (instead of 77). Well, it's a bit too fast actually. So next year we will order a batch of 77 speed, and no one should have any complaints whatsoever. In terms of durability and flight, there are no complaints from anyone. We don't steam it because it is too much of a hassle.

Badmintonalley stocks them on and off, so sometimes they will have them in stock, and other times they'll be out of stock. I suspect the storage might have been the issue. It is actually hard to find a consistent speed for the shuttlecocks here because humidity changes drastically over the seasons.

Anyway, here is my experience with the Aeroplane G1130: Less durable than EG1130. Does not sound as crisp either. Also, as they break, they become faster rather than slower, like the EG1130, rendering the used G1130 as worse practice shuttles. (We typically keep a big box of used shuttles, and during warm-up everyone only goes for the used EG1130's.)

We now have a few tubes of Yang Yang 300B to test out again, and we will probably be deciding between these and the EG1130 to invest in for the next school year. So far, my impression of the Yang Yang is that they are comparable but at a slightly lower price, so we might be using the Yang Yang's next year.

We have probably thirty tubes of one of the Mavis series that are unopened because I don't think anyone likes playing with nylon shuttles. Since, we do get a bit of funding and we do a bit of fundraising ourselves, I don't seen why we would use them over feathered ones.

Regarding Aeroplane EG1130, they should be the most durable and excellent flight shuttles in the market. We are selling Aeroplane shuttlecocks in Australia. We sell EG1130 at speed 78 and 79, and sell at least 4000 dozens per year (Totally around 12000 dozens for all grades of Aeroplane shuttles). One of our customers in Victoria (cooler area) purchases about 1000 doz (speed 79) annually from us since 2006. This club gave us an usage report few times and said the EG1130 is the only shuttle it has used for more than two years. It had used other brands such as Sealion, RSL; but their quality was not steady and became worst over the time.

I guess the possible causes happend to your EG1130 are -

1. Storage - The shuttles have been stocked for more than 2 years or were stocked in a hot area for too long.
2. Wrong speed - lower speed (the speed used in hotter area, such as speed 77, or even 76).
3. Fake ones.
4. Shuttles for Chinese domestic use, not for export. Usually there is carton number such as 1 - 250, or 1 - 100 on the shipping carton for exported shuttles. If there is no carton No., the shuttles probably are for the use of China market and the quality is less reliable.

I have just visited badmintonalley.com and there is no EG1130 in its shuttle list. It may stop selling it.

Re item 2, can you explain more? Are you saying speed 77, 76 are the wrong speed to use in hotter area or the right speed?
Also, under what conditions are speed 76, 77, 78, and 79 used in Australia, including Sydney with a mild climate?

Re item 2, can you explain more? Are you saying speed 77, 76 are the wrong speed to use in hotter area or the right speed?
Also, under what conditions are speed 76, 77, 78, and 79 used in Australia, including Sydney with a mild climate?

Hi Taneepak,

Sorry! Speed 77, 76 are the slower speed and correct speed used in hotter area such as Sydney and Brisbane. Speed 78, 79 are the faster speed used in colder area such as Melbourne, Tasmania.
However, we usually use speed 77 (here we call speed 50 in Australia) except in winter in Sydney. Some clubs in Sydney choose to use speed 78 (we call speed 51) in winter because speed 77 becomes too slow in cold weather.

Sorry! Speed 77, 76 are the slower speed and correct speed used in hotter area such as Sydney and Brisbane. Speed 78, 79 are the faster speed used in colder area such as Melbourne, Tasmania.
However, we usually use speed 77 (here we call speed 50 in Australia) except in winter in Sydney. Some clubs in Sydney choose to use speed 78 (we call speed 51) in winter because speed 77 becomes too slow in cold weather.

In reality altitude has the greatest impact on shuttle speed because the higher the place the less dense the air. Temperature and humidity have a very small impact. I suspect speeds 78 and 79 may be slightly over the limit even for a hall that is not overly cold. However, for lower grade shuttles that cannot clear the BWF's shuttlecock speed test, I do recommend one speed faster than the norm. Speed 78 is for a hall temperature from 8 degrees C to 17 degrees C. Cheaper grade speed 78 shuttlecocks have no hope of reaching from one end to the other end, hence the use of speed 79. For a temperatures below 8 degrees C, then speed 79 is used. Do they play in badminton halls in Australia that are below 8 degrees C? That will be playing under quite extreme conditions.

In reality altitude has the greatest impact on shuttle speed because the higher the place the less dense the air. Temperature and humidity have a very small impact. I suspect speeds 78 and 79 may be slightly over the limit even for a hall that is not overly cold. However, for lower grade shuttles that cannot clear the BWF's shuttlecock speed test, I do recommend one speed faster than the norm. Speed 78 is for a hall temperature from 8 degrees C to 17 degrees C. Cheaper grade speed 78 shuttlecocks have no hope of reaching from one end to the other end, hence the use of speed 79. For a temperatures below 8 degrees C, then speed 79 is used. Do they play in badminton halls in Australia that are below 8 degrees C? That will be playing under quite extreme conditions.

I agree with you. I understand altitude is important on shuttle speed. Actually, air density is the major factor to affect speed. There is less air on the mountain, thus the speed will be faster. Also the higher the temperature, the less dense the air and thus the faster the shuttle. In cold area or humid weather, the air density is higher so that the speed would be slow even they play inside the hall with higher temperature than outside. Nearly all our customer in Melbourne use speed 78's shuttlecocks although they play inside the hall. Our customer in Dunedin NZ even asked for speed 79.

Actually, I find that humidity (aside from altitude because I have never lived in places of high altitude) has the greatest impact on shuttlecock speed and it is actually the reverse of you described. In HUMID areas, the shuttlecock has more moisture in the feathers, making it heavier, thus the shuttle flies FASTER. Hence, a slower speed for the shuttle is desirable. In DRY areas, the shuttlecock has less moisture in the feathers, and therefore in addition to being lighter and slower, the shuttlecocks are also less durable (Note: steaming helps mitigate the effect, but cannot fully compensate compared to a humid day.)

I think the air density has a relatively small impact compared to the change in shuttlecock weight due to humidity. This effect in our gym is further exaggerated by the fact that our gym uses natural ventilation in the summer (making it extremely humid because it's not air conditioned) and the heater during the winter (making it extremely dry).

Here in Durham, North Carolina, we use speed 77 shuttlecocks for most of the year because it is relatively dry. However, during the summer months, it is hot and humid with frequent thunderstorms, and speed 77 feels too fast for our courts, so we switch to speed 76 shuttlecocks.

In hot weather the temperature inside an indoor hall will vary with the size of the hall. Smaller halls with up to 4 courts will be hotter and larger halls with more than 6 courts will be cooler. High temperatures and high humidity make the air less dense. Water moisture from high humidity displaces air and water is lighter than air, hence the need for a slower speed.
But temperatures and humidity have a much less effect on speed than altitude. At 600m to 1,200m the correct speed is 75; from 1,300m to 2,000m it is 74. More than 2,000m it may be hazardous to your health.

Yes, I know that's what theoretically should happen, but my experiences have shown otherwise. It does make more sense that a change in weight of the shuttlecock will affect its speed more than the air density, I think. At any rate, I certainly see a correlation between humidity, durability, and speed. (More humid = faster = more durable)